Fantasy TV Drama extracts
Clip 1: His Dark Materials
Narrative and genre:
This is a disclosing scene between two characters, Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter. This scene immediately comes across as tense and unnerving, in which Lord Asriel lashes out at Mrs Coulter, after informing her that he is no longer interested in searching for Lyra, who is their daughter. Mrs Coulter, Lyra's mother, is constructing machines which are designed to strip children of their daemons (a physical representation of one's soul). Lord Asriel attempts to reason with her and put a stop to it, resulting in an alarming sequence of him throwing her against a door out of his own anger. This communicates narrative to the audience through the use of Barthes' enigma and action codes, along with the intense dialogue passing between them. It fits the fantasy genre through the mention of supernatural, unearthly beings named daemons.
Technical codes:
A vast range of camera shots and angles are used here, to depict the scene to the audience in a clear light. This includes medium close-ups and over the shoulder shots, to demonstrate the passing dialogue between the two characters. There is also the evident use of high and low angles, the high angle of Mrs Coulter conveys her to be quite impotent as opposed to Lord Asriel, who is shown through a low angle - portraying him as dominant and powerful. The profound background music further dramatises the whole scene, creating an almost eerie and uneasy atmosphere. The use of mise-en-scene is explicitly used throughout the entirety of the scene, from the old-fashioned costumes, dim lighting, and frightening setting.
Representations:
Gender stereotypes are represented in an interesting way throughout the scene. Firstly, the stereotypes are reinforced as the woman is displayed as inferior and much less powerful than the man, as Mrs Coulter was relatively helpless under the firm grip of Lord Asriel's hand. He is also shown to be yelling in her face, again conveying signs of dominance, which supports certain stereotypes that involve men being superior as opposed to women. However, at the same time, the same stereotypes are subverted. This is shown through the way Mrs Coulter quickly sets her foot down and regains her composure, portraying presiding attributes. The roles are suddenly reversed and it's Mrs Coulter who adopts the assertive figure again, whereas Lord Asriel is now the weaker one.
Clip 2: Charmed
Narrative and genre:
In this scene, there is a healer, two sisters (who presumably may be linked to the supernatural world) and a demon. The sisters, Prue and Piper, are frantically warning the healer that a demon (Shax) is after him because he uses his abilities for good, and saves lives. The healer first perceives this revelation as a practical joke, however this quickly changes when Shax, the demon, makes an entrance and attacks the three, ultimately resulting in the death of Prue. This communicates narrative to the audience through the continued use of Barthes' action and enigma codes, as the lead-up to the demon's entrance creates a sense of eeriness and mystery - along with the amount of action which takes place immediately after when he attacks them. There is also the evident use of Propp's character theory here, what with Prue and Piper as the heroines, the healer as the donor and the demon as the villain. This constant use of narrative techniques further highlight the fantasy genre of the show - along with the repeated references of demons and other-worldly creatures.
Technical codes:
In this scene, there are many medium close-ups which focus on the character's faces in order to portray their emotions fully, which lets the audience know how serious the matter is. There is also a persistent use of high and low angles, in order to make the two girls and the healer look weak and helpless under the dominance of the demon.
Representations:
There are many reinforced gender stereotypes within this scene, with the male healer looking down on the two female characters in a way which implies that he views them in an almost unimportant, dismissive way. However, the female characters appear to be much more intelligent and judicious as opposed to the healer - which subverts many certain stereotypes about the how the roles of men and women should be portrayed in the media. There is also representation of terrifying, supernatural creatures such as the demon Shax.
Clip 3: Shadow and Bone
Narrative and genre:
This is a revelation scene in which a girl named Alina is brought to a man called 'The Darkling', where she is severely questioned by him. Alina is accused of having the power to summon light, which makes her a 'sun summoner', after she was seen having left the scene of a 'searing light'. The Darkling then uses his ring to cut her arm, revealing her to be the true summoner of light, which may have put her in grave danger. The narrative is communicated to the audience through the use of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound (the confrontation scene and the background music), emphasising the fantasy genre. There is also the use of Propp's character theory, with Alina as the heroine and The Darkling as the villain. Barthes' action and enigma codes are used throughout - particularly during the build-up to revealing Alina's ability. The use of binary opposition is also conveyed throughout the entirety of the scene (light vs dark, young vs old, good vs evil), which further highlights the fantasy genre of the show.
Technical codes:
There are a range of camera shots used throughout the clip, including medium close-ups and a two shot. This creates a sense of tension for the audience, as The Darkling appears as the dominant figure and Alina is portrayed as inferior to him, further supported by the use of high and low angles which convey them in this light. The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound further emphasises the eerie intenseness of the scene, which fits the fantasy genre. The dark lighting makes the atmosphere all the more frightening, and the costumes worn by The Darkling and the people inside the tent suggests that they are other-worldly or abnormal people, again consistently highlighting the conventions of a fantasy TV drama.
Representations:
This scene evidently reinforces stereotypes about gender roles - given the fact that The Darkling, who is portrayed as a dominant, supreme figure, has power over Alina who is a meek, young girl. This is shown through their exchange, in which Alina is clearly being restrained and nobody believes her, taking advantage over the fact that she is a helpless, adolescent girl.
TV Drama planning
Title: Lost & Found
Logline – one sentence that sums up the plot of your TV drama and hooks people in (25 words or fewer): One girl. Two prophecies. Three days. A race against time. To the rest of the remaining civilisation, Via has simply gotten lost. Except now, she's been found...
Other successful TV dramas are similar to yours:
His Dark Materials
Stranger Things
Harry Potter
Narrative – what is the main storyline in your TV drama:
My TV drama takes place in a dystopian, futuristic world which has been overrun by a ruthless, power-hungry villain, mostly known by the name Cassiopeia - a name that is feared by all. Along with her rapidly increasing army, Cassiopeia develops a plan to seize control of the entire universe itself - ridding it of "something that the world has too much of" - humans. However, all is not lost. There is a spark of hope for the remainder of human civilisation, a chance for them to overcome the darkness and despair that they find themselves trapped in. A prophecy has been made which involves both Cassiopeia, and another girl - Via Sheridan. The prophecy in question states that Via is the only one who holds the power to vanquish Cassiopeia and defeat her once and for all. Except, a second prophecy has been made that says that Via must first find the weapon which will allow her to do so, which is hidden in the depths of an unknown location, with only a map to aid her and only three days to do it, before the weapon disappears forever. Via must face multiple hardships along the way - including coming into contact with bloody-thirsty creatures who are on Cassiopeia's side - the most infamous one being a cinth, entities that feed on jealousy and rid a person of their sane mind. To make matters worse, Cassiopeia has been relayed the prophecy by one of her most faithful followers and is now personally targeting Via, in order to destroy all chances of her apparent downfall, and now Via and her family are in grave, imminent danger. She must flee, in order to keep them safe, to make sure they stay alive - as Cassiopeia has ordered her army to locate Via, and to assassinate anybody who interferes or gets in her way, in order to find and eliminate her so that she can hinder all chances of the prophecy from ever ringing true. So she runs, runs far away where she hopes that nobody will ever find her, setting on her journey to seek the desired weapon. Unless someone has gotten there before her...
Genre – how will your TV drama fit the fantasy genre?
I will use a vast range of props and different locations to fully enforce the fantasy genre, as well as the mention of mythical, other-worldly creatures.
Narrative disruption – what will happen in your scene to develop the narrative? What will the audience learn about the characters or story?
Via will have arrived at the location of the weapon, sleep-deprived, but also relieved and bursting with excitement. But, someone is already waiting for her there. As soon as she walks inside the maze, Via comes face-to-face with Reina, Cassiopeia's most faithful servant. Two other Ophidians (members of Cassiopeia's army) are slowly creeping up from behind her, cornering Via and leaving her with no means of escaping. Just as Via has resigned to her fate, believing that she is done for, there's a shout from ahead - distracting all four of them. It is Viktor - the former Ophidian Via so selflessly rescued from a cinth (mythical creatures which feed on jealousy) the day before. He distracts Reina and the others just long enough for Via to make a daring escape down the side of the maze, resulting in a chase scene between Via, Reina, the two other Ophidians and Viktor. Just as Via believes she and Viktor have made it out safely, he suddenly drops to the floor, unconscious. Via drops to the floor in shock and despair, violently shaking Viktor in an attempt to revive him. But, before she could do anything, a voice speaks out, piercing and evil. There, looming above Via, is Cassiopeia herself, laughing manically.
Information about the two locations/settings that you are using and why you have chosen them:
Southall Park - contains a maze-like area which supports the fantasy genre.
Canal - quite eerie and unsettling.
Information about the main character e.g. character type (hero/heroine) their desires, the conflicts they encounter etc.:
Via is the heroine of the TV drama and is a very resolute, skilful and sarcastic character. She currently faces the hugest threat any teenager would ever have to face; an entire nation depending on her to save them all from the cruel antagonist, Cassiopeia. Despite the huge weight which resides on her shoulders, she remains determined and intent upon defeating the villain and restoring humanity, even though she faces many hardships and conflicts along the way, including face-offs with powerful villains whose main aim is to get rid her. She is selfless and compassionate, altruistic and unfailingly generous, and would do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones - even if it means putting her own life in danger.
Costume/props that you require for filming:
- masks
- a map
- a weapon
How you are aiming your product at the specified family target audience:
My TV drama will involve dark, frightening themes which aren't suitable towards younger children, but families with older teenagers may enjoy it due to the mysterious, enigmatic plot and captivating characters.
